Several city employees started the New Year without jobs, after Williamston’s new mayor let several employees go and suspended the town administrator.

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Mayor Mack Durham said he has to make up $230,000 in the budget by July so the town won’t have to take money out of savings to pay expenses.

On his first day as mayor, Durham said, "We're looking forward to big changes in Williamston."

Part of those changes is what Durham calls "workforce realignment,” which included terminating four town employees Wednesday morning, including three police officers and Public Works Director Tim Hood, who held his position in Williamston for 28 years.

Durham said, "They are welcome to reapply, of course. It's just that we've got to start looking at how many positions are we funding. Are we using our fiscal funding responsibly? Are we giving the people of Williamston the very best that we can for the taxes that they pay?"

Durham suspended Town Administrator Phyllis Lollis. She was unavailable for comment Wednesday, but, sources tell News 4 that when Lollis showed up at Town Hall, she found the lock on her office door had been changed.

Durham says he and Lollis have different opinions of the future duties of the administrative position.

He said it's not about Lollis's work. Durham says the town is on a three-year trend of taking money out of savings to pay for expenses.

"We honestly can't afford a full-time administrator at this point, so we're going to be looking at something that would be more of a part-time position or something that would be less of a financial responsibility for us," Durham said.

In December, Durham, who was then a town council member, brought up the idea of getting rid of Lollis, but, he was voted down 3 to 2.

Now, holding the office of mayor, Durham says the changes are positive for Williamston.

Another change for the town – new police chief Tony Taylor is the first African-American police chief in Anderson County, according to town officials.